A subtle recut of the original film brings the central couple to the fore in this London-based slice of life as the young lovers struggle to find themselves
The writer-director Kanchi Wichmann’s keen-eyed portrait of a doomed lesbian couple stagnating amid the sex, drugs and indie rock of early 21st century east London felt strikingly fresh when it was released 12 years ago. Now, it has acquired the pleasing whiff of a period piece. Most of the characters carry mobile phones, but no one spends their time staring at them, and the soundtrack features the itchy pop squiggles of Micachu and the Shapes several years before frontperson Mica Levi emerged as cinema’s most gifted new composer on Under the Skin, Jackie and Monos.
Subtly recut to bring the central relationship further into the foreground, the new version looks even more distinctive, not to say unflinching. Musicians Liza (Kat Redstone...
The writer-director Kanchi Wichmann’s keen-eyed portrait of a doomed lesbian couple stagnating amid the sex, drugs and indie rock of early 21st century east London felt strikingly fresh when it was released 12 years ago. Now, it has acquired the pleasing whiff of a period piece. Most of the characters carry mobile phones, but no one spends their time staring at them, and the soundtrack features the itchy pop squiggles of Micachu and the Shapes several years before frontperson Mica Levi emerged as cinema’s most gifted new composer on Under the Skin, Jackie and Monos.
Subtly recut to bring the central relationship further into the foreground, the new version looks even more distinctive, not to say unflinching. Musicians Liza (Kat Redstone...
- 9/14/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
Founder and managing director of the UK’s Peccadillo Pictures awarded last night.
Tom Abell, founder and managing director of the UK’s Peccadillo Pictures, was presented last night (April 11) with the inaugural Iris Fellowship, honouring those who have made a significant contribution to the Lgbt+ film industry.
The award is an extension of the Iris Prize, which awards £30,000 annually to the best short film shown at Cardiff’s Lgbt+ Iris Prize Film Festival, with entries selected by multiple international partner festivals, and £20,000 to the best British short. The prizes are supported annually by a £50,000 donation by the Michael Bishop Foundation.
Tom Abell, founder and managing director of the UK’s Peccadillo Pictures, was presented last night (April 11) with the inaugural Iris Fellowship, honouring those who have made a significant contribution to the Lgbt+ film industry.
The award is an extension of the Iris Prize, which awards £30,000 annually to the best short film shown at Cardiff’s Lgbt+ Iris Prize Film Festival, with entries selected by multiple international partner festivals, and £20,000 to the best British short. The prizes are supported annually by a £50,000 donation by the Michael Bishop Foundation.
- 4/12/2019
- by Charles Gant
- ScreenDaily
Coverage of Isa’s (International Sales Agents) has resumed for The American Film Market. This segment follows leaders and innovation in the world of international film sales and distribution.
The UK based Devilworks is a boutique and genre based international sales company that was started by Matteo Rolleri and Samantha Richardson.
Devilworks mostly represents horror, thriller and science fiction genres. This new company is having great success with its new film “Time Lapse”, which has already received seven "best feature" awards on the international film circuit.
Matteo Rolleri shares his background and more about why he started Devilworks:
I have a background in production. I produced “Break My Fall”, by Kanchi Wichmann, which was picked up by Reel Suspects. Before that, I actually made a lot of short films and music videos. I’ve attended Cannes every year since the beginning of my film career, so I’ve been greatly influenced by the world of sales agents. Reel Suspects also introduced me to the sales aspect of things.
Why did you get into film sales?
I started to notice that most producers weren’t happy with sales companies, because they were not getting any money back from the sales. They didn’t have enough control of the film. They didn’t get enough feedback from the agents, or their films were packaged with other films that they didn’t find appropriate. This is why I decided to open Devilworks. Now we have seven films, and next year we are planning to acquire another five. Maintaining a boutique selection of titles will allow us to keep selling what we have at the moment and to introduce new titles without doing any packaging.
We are producer friendly, in the true meaning.
We launched the company last year at Berlin. The company is based in the UK, and the head office is in Malta. Before, I worked at Guildhall Pictures, which mainly focuses on drama films and production. I opened their sales division, and that gave me the passion to start my own company.
Please talk about the Devilworks slate.
We love genre films, but the storyline has to be really strong. There must be a story to tell. We have seven films. We’re excited about “Time Lapse”, which is a Sci-Fi/Thriller that has won many awards. It’s going really well, and it was launched at The Fantasia Film Festival this year. Its success has helped us to build even stronger relations with fantastic festivals and press around the globe.
It will be released in the U.S. next year. We sold it to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Turkey. Italy will release it theatrically in February, and it will be released in South Korea and in Japan on the 3rd of December. ”Time Lapse” will be released on SkyMovies UK on the 14th of November, and will be shortly followed by a VOD release across United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta.
We just acquired a new thriller/horror called “The Perfect Husband”, which is the debut feature from writer/director Lucas Pavetto. We're excited because Pavetto has really tackled the thriller genre, and has created something invoking and fresh for horror lovers.
The film already won the Fantafestival in Rome for Best Debut Feature, and we just lunched the title at Afm with world rights. Explorer Entertainment will release it theatrically in Italy on December fourth.
What’s drives you in this work?
My background is artistic. I’m a poet and I used to be a hip-hop performer in Italy. I have always found myself putting people together to do creative projects, so film sales speaks to this part of me.
I work on the stories that I want people to see. I’ve been through the process of producing films, so I know how hard it is. I do this for the producers, to help them share their stories. It’s important, and really exciting. I also enjoy the creative side, the travel and the relationships we build with people around the world. The people make the difference in this business.
Learn more about the Devilworks Slate.
More About Devilworks:
Devilworks is Boutique World Film Sales Agent, representing challenging genre films. We are constantly looking for films that challenge the preconceptions of genre that recreates a new way of telling stories.
We specialize in entertaining films, ranging from Action, Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction and Thriller.
Our passion is to bring to the world market unexpected stories. We connect the creativity of these stories with the demanding business of film distribution. We put Producers first, avoiding the usual issues they face with other sales agencies, unaccountable marketing expenses, complicated long-term contracts and a lack of communication.
Our sales strategy is based on the connections that we have built over the past 5 years, working in the Industry and attending markets in Europe and USA. We can provide a thoughtful marketing campaign to exploit films in the world distribution market.
The UK based Devilworks is a boutique and genre based international sales company that was started by Matteo Rolleri and Samantha Richardson.
Devilworks mostly represents horror, thriller and science fiction genres. This new company is having great success with its new film “Time Lapse”, which has already received seven "best feature" awards on the international film circuit.
Matteo Rolleri shares his background and more about why he started Devilworks:
I have a background in production. I produced “Break My Fall”, by Kanchi Wichmann, which was picked up by Reel Suspects. Before that, I actually made a lot of short films and music videos. I’ve attended Cannes every year since the beginning of my film career, so I’ve been greatly influenced by the world of sales agents. Reel Suspects also introduced me to the sales aspect of things.
Why did you get into film sales?
I started to notice that most producers weren’t happy with sales companies, because they were not getting any money back from the sales. They didn’t have enough control of the film. They didn’t get enough feedback from the agents, or their films were packaged with other films that they didn’t find appropriate. This is why I decided to open Devilworks. Now we have seven films, and next year we are planning to acquire another five. Maintaining a boutique selection of titles will allow us to keep selling what we have at the moment and to introduce new titles without doing any packaging.
We are producer friendly, in the true meaning.
We launched the company last year at Berlin. The company is based in the UK, and the head office is in Malta. Before, I worked at Guildhall Pictures, which mainly focuses on drama films and production. I opened their sales division, and that gave me the passion to start my own company.
Please talk about the Devilworks slate.
We love genre films, but the storyline has to be really strong. There must be a story to tell. We have seven films. We’re excited about “Time Lapse”, which is a Sci-Fi/Thriller that has won many awards. It’s going really well, and it was launched at The Fantasia Film Festival this year. Its success has helped us to build even stronger relations with fantastic festivals and press around the globe.
It will be released in the U.S. next year. We sold it to Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Turkey. Italy will release it theatrically in February, and it will be released in South Korea and in Japan on the 3rd of December. ”Time Lapse” will be released on SkyMovies UK on the 14th of November, and will be shortly followed by a VOD release across United Kingdom, Ireland and Malta.
We just acquired a new thriller/horror called “The Perfect Husband”, which is the debut feature from writer/director Lucas Pavetto. We're excited because Pavetto has really tackled the thriller genre, and has created something invoking and fresh for horror lovers.
The film already won the Fantafestival in Rome for Best Debut Feature, and we just lunched the title at Afm with world rights. Explorer Entertainment will release it theatrically in Italy on December fourth.
What’s drives you in this work?
My background is artistic. I’m a poet and I used to be a hip-hop performer in Italy. I have always found myself putting people together to do creative projects, so film sales speaks to this part of me.
I work on the stories that I want people to see. I’ve been through the process of producing films, so I know how hard it is. I do this for the producers, to help them share their stories. It’s important, and really exciting. I also enjoy the creative side, the travel and the relationships we build with people around the world. The people make the difference in this business.
Learn more about the Devilworks Slate.
More About Devilworks:
Devilworks is Boutique World Film Sales Agent, representing challenging genre films. We are constantly looking for films that challenge the preconceptions of genre that recreates a new way of telling stories.
We specialize in entertaining films, ranging from Action, Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction and Thriller.
Our passion is to bring to the world market unexpected stories. We connect the creativity of these stories with the demanding business of film distribution. We put Producers first, avoiding the usual issues they face with other sales agencies, unaccountable marketing expenses, complicated long-term contracts and a lack of communication.
Our sales strategy is based on the connections that we have built over the past 5 years, working in the Industry and attending markets in Europe and USA. We can provide a thoughtful marketing campaign to exploit films in the world distribution market.
- 11/8/2014
- by Erin Grover
- Sydney's Buzz
Often bleak, but always stylish, Break My Fall is all about the disintegrating relationship between two tragically hip London ladies. First time director Kanchi Wichmann has an astounding eye for realistic drama and offers serious talent behind the camera, painting one of the most intimate portraits of lost love the lesbian scene has ever seen.
Sally (Sophie Anderson) and Liza (Kat Redstone) are bandmates and girlfriends living smack in the middle of the queer scene in London. They live in a crappy flat and they are clearly on their last legs when we first meet them. The very first scene sees Liza wistfully pouring over old footage of happier days, a performance only a few years prior where both women are playing their hearts out and making doe eyes at one another.
In stomps Sally after a hard night’s work at a local restaurant, exhausted and annoyed when Liza...
Sally (Sophie Anderson) and Liza (Kat Redstone) are bandmates and girlfriends living smack in the middle of the queer scene in London. They live in a crappy flat and they are clearly on their last legs when we first meet them. The very first scene sees Liza wistfully pouring over old footage of happier days, a performance only a few years prior where both women are playing their hearts out and making doe eyes at one another.
In stomps Sally after a hard night’s work at a local restaurant, exhausted and annoyed when Liza...
- 8/10/2011
- by Danielle Riendeau
- AfterEllen.com
This multi-character account of young Londoners sharing a flat is fashionably shot but short on compelling drama, says Cath Clarke
She's supposed to be walking out on her girlfriend and their grubby flat; instead 25-year-old musician Liza (Kat Redstone) flakes out and falls asleep. That's the trouble with people who drink too much and do drugs: they can be half-arsed. In her stylishly scuzzy low-fi debut, director Kanchi Wichmann never manages to portray her doing-nothing-very-much hip young things as particularly engaging. At best she creates a heartfelt, occasionally touching, study of four friends living in each others' pockets: a lesbian couple breaking up, a straight(ish) man working as a rent boy, a barman ready for a full-time boyfriend. But the acting is patchy, episodes of kitchen-sink drama flat-footed, and – this could spell kiss of death to its cult potential – thuddingly earnest in places.
Rating: 2/5
DramaCath Clarke
guardian.co.uk...
She's supposed to be walking out on her girlfriend and their grubby flat; instead 25-year-old musician Liza (Kat Redstone) flakes out and falls asleep. That's the trouble with people who drink too much and do drugs: they can be half-arsed. In her stylishly scuzzy low-fi debut, director Kanchi Wichmann never manages to portray her doing-nothing-very-much hip young things as particularly engaging. At best she creates a heartfelt, occasionally touching, study of four friends living in each others' pockets: a lesbian couple breaking up, a straight(ish) man working as a rent boy, a barman ready for a full-time boyfriend. But the acting is patchy, episodes of kitchen-sink drama flat-footed, and – this could spell kiss of death to its cult potential – thuddingly earnest in places.
Rating: 2/5
DramaCath Clarke
guardian.co.uk...
- 7/21/2011
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
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